Need For Speed Unbound comes from Criterion Games, creators of the renowned Need for Speed Most Wanted. Will Unbound measure up? We tested it on PC and we tell you about our experience.
We all like cute graphics. There are those who put this section as the main axis, perhaps about the story or the gameplay. There are also those who leave it in an instance without much importance, who put the gameplay, the story or the game mechanics as their priority. Be that as it may, no matter how “simple” a game looks, there is an Art Director who is responsible for making the most important decisions so that the game looks in this or that way. What there is no doubt, is that the Art Director of Need For Speed Unbound is a huge fan of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the animated film that won the Oscar.
And we do not mention it as something negative, of course. The inspiration is noticeable, it is in sight, but made available to a game of cars. Of car racing. The graphic style and the music, at first, make us think that at any moment Miles Morales is going to show up driving a Nissan 350Z listening to Post Malone. But with the passage of time we get used to it and, despite the constant references, it becomes enjoyable and begins, little by little, to be something characteristic and proper, so to speak, of the Need For Speed Unbound. It is as if they wanted to do the need for speed more urban and “cool” than he ever knew how to be.
To be the 25th installment of the saga, this title had little impact on networks, in advertisements and even from press coverage. And that this new game of need for speed is entirely developed by Criterion Gameswho was in charge of Need for Speed Most Wantedback in 2012. For many, Most Wanted was the last good installment of the sagaand we all thought that when we returned criteria things were going to explode through the air. Nevertheless, AE he wanted to let the game speak for itself.
the fort of need for speed it was never innovate. Not when he’s already created 25 games that tried to be different from each other, within the logical limits of the genre. Unbound It has the typical street races, races against the clock, and escaping from the police, among a few more trifles. The focus of attention, especially if we play story mode, goes through the races and qualifying for the “Lakeshore Grand”. The difficulty, in this case, is very reminiscent of the old games in the saga, of the deliveries for the first PlayStation promptly. The rest? It is a fairly fair mix, with a good balance, that does not play for anything new and that remains resting on the old and familiar.
And this is not good or bad it’s just a matter of taste. Skids are back (when you learn to control them well, of course) to fill our NOS bar. It is complicated, we repeat it. Although driving in normal sections is quite classic, skidding often occurs by chance. To this we have to add them to the cars that are NPCs, those that are comfortably traveling without participating in the races.
We understand that there is artificial intelligence behind them, or at least some script that controls them. The problem is that they always appear at the worst moment.. In straight lines you hardly cross them, or if you do, they slow down. Now, in a 90 degree turn where you were coming at full speed, there it is very likely that they will appear out of nowhere right in the lane that you are trying to maintain.
The graphic aspect, as we already said, is very interesting. The possibility of customizing our character is something that is appreciated, especially with this very hip hip aesthetic and urban thing that is now so fashionable. In this case, the aesthetic proposal helps the general visual of the game, but is completely isolated from the story.
It is a car racing game, we love to feel the adrenaline of speed and the mythical feeling of escaping from the police, but unfortunately, all the characters and events that happen in this world are completely flat and one-dimensional. It’s like putting fast & furious in the same salad where it is miles morales. While Toretto shows off his muscles, his fat cocks and he never tires of talking about his American cars and his family, Thousands In the background, try to tune in to a local radio station to put Lil Wayne background.
Now I want to drive…
With that said, let’s get to the important stuff: driving. Racing is the forte of the game, and it really changes the feeling when we are in control of a car. Lakeshore City, its map, is quite large, and the races are created from routes that they are going to take full advantage of the map, avoiding that we have to go through the same place over and over again. On a visual level, we are always going to be discovering a new landscape, and honestly, everything looks very good.
However, we fall back on what we mentioned in the first paragraphs: the lack of variety. There are straight lines where we will be able to squeeze the nitro at will, curves to slide the tail of our car, and cinematographic jumps from time to time. But don’t ask for much more. If they come from force horizon 5 and they are used to the variety of crazy things that this game has, here they are going to feel, surely, disappointed.
Lakeshore City has safe points, places where we can hide and be out of danger from the police. In those workshops, we will be able to customize our character again and, above all, our cars. Paint, engine, sound equipment, and a great etcetera. There are over 140 unlockable vehicles to tryand they all have their own stats, of course.
Music, for its part, accompanies all this urban living (it’s the word that best describes this game) with musicians like A$AP Rocky, Tropkillaz, Maxo Kream, Charli XCXamong others. It is a great surprise to find the theme of the session that they do between Bizarrap and Villano Antillano.
The online mode works very well. The full experience of the story mode is transferred, but being able to enter different lobbies that fit 16 players. Cross play between PC and consoles works very smoothly, and if we take into account that the game allows Nvidia DLSS, everything becomes smooth and very comfortable when playing. To tell the truth, it is great news to see how the story mode is kept alive in the online mode, without one offering more than the other.
Many times it happens that online modes have features that story modes do not, and we find it quite unfair. It’s like, somehow, they force you to play online. But in Need For Speed Unbound that does not happen and it is greatly appreciated. Another thing that is appreciated, and that is increasingly present in many games, is the accessibility and the number of options that allow most people to enjoy these titles.
In summary, Need For Speed Unbound It’s okay, but it’s far from the best installments of this franchise. It has some interesting stuff going for it, with the visuals, music, customization, and some typical open world activities offering a good few hours of entertainment. As for the races and their varieties, they are fine, but it falls quite short if we compare it with its direct competitors.
And, unfortunately, some details of the controls, especially when it comes to drifting, feel so uncomfortable that they directly influence the gaming experience. There are moments that, if we don’t skid, we crash into a wall. And skidding becomes so complicated that we crash into another wall just for trying.
RELEASE DATE | December 2, 2022 |
DEVELOPER | Criterion Games |
DISTRIBUTOR | Electronic Arts |
PLATFORMS | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S |